The Vampire Diaries -- Not Buying This Ripper Story

I remember the first time Stefan fell off the blood wagon back in season one, and this time doesn't match that by a long shot. Stefan only had a little taste of blood, and he was a total blood fiend. Now that he's indulging his blood lust he doesn't seem to feel any frenzy, at all.

In the last episode he was very calmly, and not in any frenzy at all, feeding on a woman at a dress shop while Rebekah tried on clothes. He was very calm and clear-headed. In short, he didn't seem to be affected at all by indulging in his blood addiction.

I really haven't gotten any overwhelming overpowering unquenchable thirst for blood from Stefan, which is what an addict would be feeling if they were indulging in the drug their hooked on. In no way, shape or form does Stefan appear to have a problem controlling his lust for blood.

While the whole gory cutting up and putting back the bodies was very visual and gory in 3.01, it really has nothing to do with Stefan falling off the blood wagon and going on a binge he can't control. And we didn't actually see Stefan eviscerating his victims and attacking them.

According to spoilers, after Stefan recalled his past in Chicago with Rebekah and Klaus, he was supposed to become a full-blown ripper. Didn't happen. He was thinking clearly as he was plotting to find a way to take down Klaus and to stop Klaus from learning Elena was alive. Now the big spoiler for episode 3.05 is Klaus is going to compel Stefan to turn off his emotions and that's how he'll go full-blown ripper.

My problem with that, is falling off the wagon should have done it all on it's own. Stefan should have been an out-of-control maniac having a constant need to quench his hunger for blood. That's the way he was in Miss Mystic Falls. Stefan should have been an out-of-control maniac looking for his next fix, and that's not how it's played out.

To be honest, I had my reservations about this show letting Stefan be bad, because of the favoritism they write this character with. Even when he does something rotten, he never gets called on it. You have characters that never even have met him coming up and telling him how wonderful he is, you even have Stefan telling everyone how wonderful he is. So would they really be able to taint their favorite son and actually have him be bad and be blamed for his actions? The answer to this is a resounding no it seems.

By having Stefan have to be compelled before he acts like The Ripper, it gives him a total free pass and no responsibility for her own actions. So whenever this godawful story ends, there will be no tarnish on the halo the writers have Stefan going around wearing. Which is a shame, since if they could write the Stefan in an unbiased manner, it would have been an interesting story. Now it's just wake me up when it's over fodder.